7 saltines in 1 minute

This eating test of strength really surprised me last week.

I was in Chicago at a work meeting last week. During dinner on Thursday, I was told that it was impossible to eat 7 saltine crackers in 1 minute.

I've heard a lot of these tests before but not one so seemingly easy. After a couple of sips of my Hurricane and some support of my coworkers, I was ready to put this to a challenge.

As you can see, it's easier said than done. After 2 crackers, all of the moisture in your mouth is gone. The trick here is to eat and swallow the crackers one at a time. This is what happens when you try the "shove them all in" method.

you can barely see the cracker dust being sprayed out as I try to contain my laughter.

Harry's Country Club's Teaches Me About Booze!

You shouldn't ever pass up an opportunity to raise your whiskey I.Q.. I had a great time on Saturday at Harry's Country Club in the Rivermarket when they held their first round of booze school. The magical elixir being taught? Bourbon!!!

This all starts with a conversation between a couple friends where the subject being discussed was Scotch and Irish Whiskeys. I've never been the biggest fan, and always have thought that Scotch tastes more like a campfire than liquor. However we did all bring up that it would be great to have a way to learn more about whiskeys and to have a chance to sample some different ones to find out what we're into and what to leave on the shelf.



My friend Dan took this conversation seriously and went right to one of the finest whiskey aficionados in K.C., Harry from Harry's Country Club. You see Harry treats whiskey and beer like they are fine wines. It's one of the only places in town offering whiskey flights and his selection is rivaled by very few.

Harry must have seen this as an opportunity, because within weeks we were all invited to HCC's first Bourbon tasting. For a mere $27 (that includes the tip folks) we were treated to 5 different bourbons as well as 2 rye whiskeys.

The tasting was held in an unknown room above HCC. It was a great spot and would be fun to rent out for a private party. Within 2 hours we'd tasted all of our whiskeys and were treated to a variety of appetizer foods including pretzels, pizza crackers and even a mini blue cheese burger that was absolutely delicious.

They brought in a very entertaining speaker that walked us through the tasting, filling us knowledge as well as spirits. The biggest things I walked away with is a new favorite bourbon which is Basil Hayeden, and knowledge that bourbon's only being from Kentucky is a huge myth! Jim Beam is made in Missouri. Although Bourbon does need to come from the U.S., the name encompasses the process more than the place of origin.



We had a great time and left feeling warm and fuzzy but not drunk. We also learned that Harry is planning on having more of these in the upcoming months. Mark your calendars for March 21st when he'll be having Belgium Beers 101.